The Cosmos Rocks

The new studio material by Queen in about thirteen years

The idea by the Queen members to resurrect the great command without the glorious Freddie Mercury was considered with doubt at first. Brian May and Rodger Taylor (John Deacon quit the band in mid 90's) tried many tricks after Mercury's death, but after the disc Made In Heaven, recorded in 1995, they temporally left their attempts. Nevertheless, in several years they made a significant and brilliant decision to invite Paul Rodgers to perform the hits by Queen. Mercury called him one of the best voices on the rock'n'roll scene and regularly attended his concerts. Rodgers, who was by that moment one of the best-known singers in his native Great Britain and was famous as the former soloist of Bad Company, Free, The Firm and The Law. He gave his agreement to join Queen and sing the legacy of the band all over the world. During the world tour, the artists added to their lineup the former Queen touring keyboardist, Spike Edney, guitarist Jamie Moses (Merlin, The Pretenders, The Hollies, The Brian May Band) and bassist Danny Miranda, who previously performed in Blue Oyster Cult. Along Paul Rodgers as the vocalist, Queen recorded the double live album Return Of The Champions, which featured the hits by the band. This year, the rockers created the first in thirteen years disc with the new material. The long-play is titled The Cosmos Rocks.

The Cosmos Rocks: the classical rock, performed by the veterans

No doubt, that Paul Rodgers is a wonderful singer with the strong, memorable voice, but Freddie Mercury was unique. Wisely, Rodgers does not try to substitute him. The new work by Queen is the same classical rock with the multi-layered harmonies with the thoughtful lyrics, but the most important thing is that it is the full-right cooperation by the artists with Paul Rodgers. Thus, on the new disc The Cosmos Rocks, one can notice both the roots of Queen and the influence of the solo career of the singer. The disc begins with the winding composition Cosmos Rockin', decorated with the handclaps and the bluesy riffs by guitarist Brian May. The track Time To Shines strikes with its atmospheric rock, high-spirited and optimistic. The song Still Burning evidently has the handwriting by Paul Rodgers, while Small is the classical power-ballad by Queen. The track Voodoo is a mesmerizing story of love to the woman with the African roots, who practices the secret magical rituals. The piercing tune Warboys explores the theme of war and the role of the soldiers in the war conflicts' initiative. The track Call Me is sure to cheer the listeners with its operatic vocals, which was the characteristic feature of Queen in the time of Mercury's rule. In the song Some Things That Glitter, Rodgers skillfully develops the message of the proverb, saying that not all that glitters is gold. In the pop rock single C-lebrity, he mocks over the race for fame and the fact, that the today's culture appreciates the scandal glory more than the talent. The second single of the disc, the power-ballad with the memorable chorus Say It's Not True, is devoted to the problem of AIDS and the struggle with this disease.

The integral and qualitative album by Queen & Paul Rodgers

The Cosmos Rocks is devoted to Freddie Mercury. It demonstrates the fact that the former Queen soloist still has the strong influence on the creativity of the musicians. The song Say It's Not True, obviously written in honor of the deceased singer, can prove the same fact. It would be ridiculous to think that May and Taylor re-united the band to raise the huge sums of money or because of the fright to be forgotten - the songs by Queen have already become the classics, while no alive members of the collective need additional income. As for Rodgers' voice, it is undoubtedly gorgeous. Besides, it is a clear thing that the proposal to perform the tracks by such cult band was a great honor even for such a famous artist. If someone could think that the material of the new album might somehow damage the reputation of Queen, one should remember the negative critical reviews on the band's discs in the beginning of their career and their being underestimated overall. However, the cooperation of the resurrected Queen and Paul Rodgers was a fruitful one - on this disc the fans can find all they love about Queen. The album features the grasping ballads, the fast rock compositions and power tracks like the mega-hit We Will Rock You that ideally fit for the arena performances. Moreover, the long-play The Cosmos Rocks, proved to be integral like the previous works by Queen. The musicians themselves told that they worked a lot in the studio, playing together for the album - such approach is a rare on nowadays. They also tried to make a full-length that can be listened to wholly, from the first track to the last one. They masterfully hit the target. The Cosmos Rocks is a highly qualitative and integral issue, on which each track is harmonically followed by the other.